Best way to archive projects for future use

I use Adobe Premiere Pro CS4,but this is a more generic question. I shoot videos that people want to save for a long time. I burn my projects to DVD's (or Blue-ray discs if the client does not mind the cost). DVD's can be destroyed, lost, wear out. What is the best way to preserve these memories? I know that some people charge the client and use a dedicated external hard drive for each project. What technique is not too expensive, but will last the longest?
Thanks,
Lisa

OK, I meant to tack this question with my last one, my client wants me to take her 1 hour video and compress it to a format that she can store/watch on her own hard drive. What format would retain audio and video quality best, and not be enormous and still be able to run on a computer (ie not burned to a DVD or Blu-ray Disc)?
Second part to this question:
one of my projects is 5 years old - not done on a external hard drive - which means that I can no longer access the project for conversion purposes. What choices do I have if I only have a DVD disc to convert to a file that can play/be stroed on a computer?
Thanks

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Best way to archive projects for future use

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